The purpose of this qualitative study was twofold: (a) to investigate how a service-learning class assisted in achieving the goals of a comprehensive guidance and development program in a junior high school, and (b) to examine the effects of a service-learning class on junior high school students. Thirty students who had been in the service-learning class participated in semi-structured interviews. Parents and teachers were also interviewed to cross-validate student perceptions. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed to identify core meanings. Using phenomenological analysis, eight major themes were identified: personal awareness, social skills development, learning skills, career interests, character education, application of class, class satisfaction, and program administration. Each of the eight themes also had several sub-themes. Currently, there is a paucity of research regarding counselors using service-learning as a method to assist in achieving comprehensive guidance program goals. This study found that service-learning is an effective method of comprehensive guidance program delivery and is beneficial to students. Limitations of the study are described and ideas for future research are presented.

Diversity in the United States is steadily increasing with racial and ethnic groups traditionally called minorities expected to account for over 50% of the U.S. population by 2050 (U.S. Census Projections, 2009). At the same time, the school age population is expected to consist of 60% students from "minority" backgrounds. Yet, school counselors are mostly from White, European backgrounds and are projected to continue to come from that background (Brown, Parham, and Yonker, 1996; Pack-Brown, 1999; Vaughn, 2007). This creates frequent cross-cultural counseling relationships within schools necessitating that school counselors have multicultural competence. Multicultural counseling competence (MCC) has been related to awareness of privilege (Mindrup, Spray, and Lamberghini-West, 2011). This research investigates that connection and the connection of self-reported MCC of school counselors to their multicultural school counseling behavior. The research also examines the connection with school climate, which has been connected in previous literature to academic achievement. This research indicates relationships between the self-reported MCC of school counselors and awareness of privilege and oppression. Results indicated a predictive relationship between MCC and awareness of privilege and oppression on multicultural school counseling behavior. Furthermore, results indicated a predictive relationship between MCC and awareness of privilege and oppression on perceived school climate. Results also indicate a relationship between reported multicultural school counseling behavior and perceived school climate. Selected demographic factors were also examined, indicating differences in the constructs of interest based on gender, ethnicity, and having taken a multicultural class. Relationships and differences remain after accounting for social desirability.

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the directional relationship between practicing school counselors' level of professional quality of life and self-efficacy to their programmatic service delivery activities. This investigation tested the theoretical model that practicing school counselors' level of professional quality of life (as measured by the Professional Quality of Life Scale [ProQOLs; Stamm, 2010]) and their self-efficacy (as measured by the School Counselor Self-Efficacy Scale [SCSEs; Bodenhorn & Skaggs, 2005]) contributes to their service delivery activity (as measured by the School Counselor Activity Rating Scale [SCARS; Scarborough, 2005]). Specifically, this study examined the hypothesized directional relationship that school counselors who have higher ProQOL scores (e.g., less burnout and compassion fatigue and higher compassion satisfaction) and higher self-efficacy scores (e.g., more confident about counseling skills) have increased levels of programmatic service delivery facilitation (e.g., they provide high levels of school counseling activities for students and stakeholders). In addition, this investigation examined the relationship between practicing school counselors' demographic factors and the constructs of professional quality of life, self-efficacy, and programmatic service delivery. Furthermore, the investigation examined the difference in response rate and school counselors' total mean score (as measured by the ProQOLs, SCSEs, and SCARS) based upon the: (a) sampling method (e.g., email web-based, paper-pencil mail-out survey, face-to-face survey administration), (b) token incentive type (e.g., monetary [$1.00, $2.00, or no incentive] or non-monetary [$1.00 donation to the American Red Cross or no donation]), and (c) sampling population (e.g., ASCA dataset or Common Core Dataset)? A review of the literature is presented, which provides conceptual theory and empirical research to support the constructs and their hypothesized relationship. A descriptive, correlational research design was employed to investigate the research hypothesis and exploratory research questions. The data was collected through diverse survey methodologies (e.g., email web-based, paper-pencil mail-out survey, face-to-face survey administration). The research hypothesis was tested through the utilization of structural equation modeling (SEM). In addition, multiple linear regression, spearmen rho correlation, Mann-Whitney U tests, Kruscal-Wallis H tests, and Chi Square tests of independence were used to analyze the data for the exploratory questions. The results of the investigation are presented and compared to current literature and prior research. Additionally, the limitations of the study are discussed and recommendations for future research are presented. Last, implications from this investigation are discussed in regards to practicing school counselors, school counselor educators, and school counseling researchers. The sample size for this investigation was 690 with 577 used for the data analysis after data cleaning. The results of the SEM analyses identified that practicing school counselors' professional quality of life contributed to their programmatic service delivery (1.21% of the variance explained). In addition, the results identified that practicing school counselors' self-efficacy contributed to their programmatic service delivery (34.81% of the variance explained). Furthermore, the analysis indicated that the covariance between professional quality of life and self-efficacy accounted for 26% of the shared variance between these two constructs of interest. Implications of the findings from the study include (a) school counselors' self-efficacy contributes to their programmatic service delivery (large effect size), (b) school counselors' professional quality of life and self-efficacy contribute to one another (medium to large effect size), and (c) school counselors' professional quality of life contributes to their service delivery (small effect size). Additionally, this study provides implications in regards to: (a) the psychometric properties of the ProQOLs, SCSEs, and SCARS with a national sample of practicing school counselors and (b) research methodology related to differences in school counselors' response rates and total mean score on the ProQOLs, SCSEs, and SCARS based upon the sampling method, incentive type, and sampling population.

Professional School Counselors (PSCs) have been called to be leaders for educational reform to support the academic, career, and personal/social development of all students through the coordination and facilitation of their comprehensive, developmental school counseling program (American School Counselor Association , 2005; National Model). The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the contributions of PSCs' values and leadership practices to their programmatic service delivery (counseling, coordinating, consulting, and curriculum). The three constructs and instruments investigated in this study were: (a) Schwartz Value Theory (the Schwartz Value Survey ; Schwartz, 1992), (b) the Leadership Challenge Theory (the Leadership Practices Inventory ; Posner & Kouzes, 1988), and (c) school counselors' programmatic service delivery (the School Counselors Activity Rating Scale ; Scarborough, 2005). The findings of this study contribute to the school counseling, counselor education, and leadership literature. The sample size for this study was 249 certified, practicing school counselors (elementary school, n = 83; middle school, n = 76; high school, n = 74; multi-level, n = 8) in the state of Florida (35% response rate). The participants completed an on-line surveys including a general demographic questionnaire, the SVS (Schwartz, 1992), the LPI (Posner & Kouzes, 1988), and the SCARS (Scarborough, 2005). The statistical procedures used to analyze the data included (a) structural equation modeling (path Analysis), (b) confirmatory factor analysis, (c) simultaneous multiple regression, (d) Pearson product-moment (2-tailed), and (e) Analysis of variance (ANOVA). The primary research hypothesis for the study was that practicing school counselors' values and leadership practice scores would contribute to their levels of programmatic service delivery. The statistical analyses of these data identified several significant findings. The path analysis models testing the contribution of school counselors' values and leadership practices on their service delivery did fit for these data. Specifically, the results indicated that values contributed minimally to the model fit (less than 1%); however, leadership practices made a significant contribution (39%) to the school counselors' service delivery. Additionally, 31% of the participants reported that their current school counseling program was consistent with how they perceive a successful school counseling program should be implemented, yet only 29% of the school counselors reported feeling comfortable in challenging their involvement in non-counseling related duties. Further, although these data indicated that the majority of the school counselors valued self-transcendence (accepting of rules and appreciating others); structural equation modification re-specification procedures revealed that the model fit supported the value type, self-enhancement (self-direction and personal success) as a more significant contributor in promoting leadership practices and effective service delivery. Implications for professional school counseling and counselor education are presented, along with areas for future investigation.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact which changes in living environments (i.e., from homelessness, in a shelter unit, to the family's own dwelling unit) have on the academic achievement of school-age children. The study samples seven cases of public school children who were in grades 5 through 8, during the years 1988 to 1991. It compares the academic achievement scores of these children on the same standardized test during two points in their education: when they lived in a sheltered unit and when they returned to the family's own dwelling. The researcher hypothesized that homelessness adversely influences academic achievement in eight academic categories. The academic categories, as defined by the California Achievement Test, are: Word Analysis, Vocabulary, Comprehension, Spelling, Language Mechanics, Language Expression, Mathematics Computation, and Mathematics Concepts and Application. The case study technique is used along with pattern-matching (i.e., quasi-experimental) research methodology to compare and measure the achievement of children during the period in which they were classified as homeless. This study matched the academic achievement score to the norm academic achievement score in order to determine the impact of the homeless experience on each category listed on the California Achievement Test Battery. There were two possible outcomes for academic achievement--a positive performance or a negative performance. All scores over the district mean in each of the categories resulted in a positive, or increase in, performance and the conclusion that homelessness has "no effect" on academic achievement. Scores below the district mean for each of the categories resulted in a negative, or decrease in, performance and the conclusion that homelessness has "an effect" on academic achievement. The results of the study indicate that homelessness has an adverse effect on the academic achievement of school-age children. The study also suggests that if supportive educational services are not received while the school-age child is homeless, when he/she returns to living within a family unit, his/her academic achievement results on the standardized California Achievement Test would tend to show a negative deviation from the district mean.

There were two goals of this study. The first was to continue reliability and validity investigations of the Body-Karlson Adolescent Development Inventory (BKADI). The second was to compare college students with a learning disability to a control group of college students focussing on adolescent development issues. The study used a matched sample procedure of 40 students diagnosed with a learning disability and 40 students without a learning disability diagnosis at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. The students were administered the BKADI, The College Adjustment Scales (CAS), and the Seligman Learned Optimism Inventory (SLOT). The BKADI assesses seven developmental concerns: Body Image, Autonomy Within the Family, Life in School, Interpersonal Relationships, Career and Lifestyle, Gender Identity, and Comfort with Changing Cultural Values while the CAS contains nine clinical scales including Anxiety, Depression, Suicidal Ideation, Substance Abuse, Self-esteem Problems, Interpersonal Problems, Family Problems, Academic Problems, and Career Problems. The SLOT assesses overall perceptions the person has about good and bad events happening in their life, as well as, a hopelessness rating, and a self-esteem rating. This study reveals a strong reliability for the BKADI for both LD and non-LD groups. Also concurrent validity was found. Comparative results of the BKADI indicated that LD students scored significantly less on the Life in School and Career Lifestyle scales. Also, results of the comparative study from the CAS showed LD students scored significantly more problematic on the scales of Academic Problems, Career Problems, Self-esteem, Family Problems, Anxiety, and Depression. Total percentages of LD students falling within the problematic ranges are significant in the previous scales, as well as, Suicidal Ideation and Substance Abuse. On the SLOT, results indicated that LD and non-LD students explained good and bad events in their life similarly. LD students, however, were significantly more optimistic on the Personalization Good scale. Conclusions related to previous research and implications for policy and practice are included.

This qualitative study focused on mothers who were sexually abused as children and whose children disclosed incest before turning eighteen. It describes the ways nine women between the ages of 30 and 49, who volunteered to be interviewed, discussed their history of multigenerational sexual abuse and its impact on their lives and their parenting. Semi-structured clinical interviews which took approximately two to three hours each, provided the data for the study. The interview questions were divided into three sections. The questions in the first section asked for the participant's ideas about the parenting relationship. The second section included questions about how she discovered and responded to the sexual abuse of her children. The third part asked for information about how her parents responded to her own childhood victimization, and for her ideas about multigenerational patterns of abuse. Each interview was adapted to be sensitive to the emotional needs and level of understanding of each participant. Embedded in the interview questions were two social-cognitive developmental assessments: one which looked for stages of self-understanding, and one which looked for levels of conceptualizations about the parenting relationship. A high level of correspondence was found between the results of the two assessments. The interviews were transcribed and then analyzed in two phases. The theme analysis is a summary of the major relevant content themes which emerged during the early combing of the data. Among these themes are participants' ideas about connections between childhood sexual victimization in their own lives and childhood incest in their children's lives, and their thoughts about breaking multigenerational patterns of abuse. The next phase, the developmental analysis, summarizes and demonstrates how each of the six themes was negotiated by participants at three different stages of social cognitive development. Many consistencies were found in the ways women at each developmental stage described their thoughts and ideas about abuse in both generations. The results speak to the usefulness of social cognitive developmental schemas in explaining and organizing the various ways mothers who are coping with multigenerational victimization make meaning of their experiences. They indicate a strong relationship between social cognitive development and how people understand, recover from, and change patterns of multigenerational sexual abuse in their families. The findings have implications for clinical practice. They suggest that clinicians attempting to facilitate recovery from sexual victimization might better meet the differing needs of clients when equipped with an understanding of the ways in which social cognition develops and has impact on the process.

This exploratory study examines the persistence patterns of Latino students attending a two-year college in North Central Massachusetts. Thirty-three persisting students participated in this study. They answered a questionnaire developed in English and translated into Spanish. Questionnaires were administered by the researcher who is bilingual and bicultural. Individual interviews were conducted with nine departing students. These interviews were analyzed using Ishikawa's (1982) fish bone charting techniques. The methodology, utilized by Japan's industries for problem-solving identification, was used in this study to generate cause-and-effect relationships and prioritize solutions. Results of this study conclude that Latino student persistence at Mount Wachusett Community College is affected by external and environmental factors, namely, health, and financial and family responsibilities. These factors affect goal-oriented and non-goal oriented students at the same rate. Role models of the same ethnic and cultural backgrounds impact students in ways that result in decreased isolation at the institution. Most salient recommendations for future institutional policy include: comprehensive support services delivered by ethnically compatible staff; increased on-campus job opportunities to increase students' institutional integration; block programming of academic courses during the freshman year; academic achievement recognition; and individual tracking using cause-and-effect charting.

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